'THE AMERICAN YEAR; iS8r. 159 



clubs the belief was fully entertained that the American 

 would be easily beaten. 



This has often been so; similar 'dead sets' have 

 been made on horses before, and the performance of 

 the animal, as in the case of the American, has given 

 the lie to the actions of the enemy. But it has to be 

 confessed that when the ' undertaking ' machinery of 

 the turf market is set going it has usually but one 

 result: the horse operated upon, to describe what occurs 

 in an unotfensive way, ' does not win.' The ' death's 

 head and cross-bones men ' rarely act without orders. 

 The'chief grave-digger' only opens his mouth fordoom: 

 either he or some friend of his has 'the key of the stable' 

 in which the sickly horse is housed ; but no fellow 

 could understand why Iroquois should have been 

 given over to these ghouls just before the great race 

 which would set the seal upon his fame. Nor has the 

 mystery which attended Iroquois at Doncaster ever 

 been solved. Grantinsf that the cok had retained his 

 fine form and his good health, why should Mr. 

 Lorillard not desire that the value of the animal should 

 be enhanced by a victory on that battle-ground which 

 had seen over a hundred equine tights, in which the 

 combatants were of unsurpassed ability for speed and 

 stamina ? Why, indeed ? 



Sutiice it to say that when the hour came the steed 

 was ready and was not found wanting. At the last 

 moment the betting settled down, and Iroquois started 

 for the St. Leger as first favourite, the price offered 

 being 2 to 1. The story of the struggle need not be 

 retold. An exciting race between Geologist and the 

 American resulted in the victory of the latter, well 



